Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 553 



opinion as expressed by 3'ou above. Mr. Barnard is recog- 

 nized as one of the best and most experienced of Australian 

 collectors, and as one not likely to make an important state- 

 ment witliont being snre of his facts. In the case you refer 

 to there is not the slightest doubt that the clutch taken by 

 him belonged to liatllna tricolor. 



Might I ask you where it has ever been proved, by shooting 

 the bird at the nest, that Rallina tricolor lays spotted eggs ? 

 Such a statement has been made, but I can lind no proof 

 of it. 



On the other hand, we have several instances of the white 

 eggs being identified. Besides Mr. Barnard's experience, 

 ue have that of the late Mr. Broadbent (Cami)bell's ' Nests 

 and Eggs of Australian Birds,' p. TJ^), and I ha\e another 

 set of the white eggs taken by 11. Hislop (a well-known 

 collector) at Cooktown, Queensland, in 1897. Mr. Barnard, 

 in writing to me after I mentioned 'The Jbis' article, says : 

 " I cannot nnderstand Mr. ^lathews hinting that the white 

 eggs of RaUiiia tricolor are only freaks ; tlie spotted and the 

 white eggs are not the same shape, not to mention the coloui'. 

 ]\Ir. B. Jardine had two or three sets of each, tlie clutches 

 of white eggs containing four only each, while those of the 

 spotted eggs contained seven or eight each. Bolli he and 

 Mr. C. Jardine informed me that while the Red-necked Hail 

 made practically no nest, the other bird made a nest of grass 

 in a tussock like the Pectoral Rail. JNIr. B. Jardine could 

 have cleared the matter up long ago, but, like myself, he 

 was not aware that there was any confusion between the 

 two birds." 



I may mention here that the Messrs. Jardine have resided 

 at Somerset, Cape York, all their lives, and possess a thorough 

 knowledge of most of the birds there, one of their puzzles 

 being the identity of the second Rail in this locality : this 

 bird beat Mr. H. G. Barnard also at the time. 



To sum up : — ^Ir. Barnard proved conclusively that the 

 Rallina tricolor he shot laid four white eggs; Messrs. Jardine 

 have taken several clutches of four white eggs each, similar 

 to j\Ir. Barnard's clutch; I have a second set of white eggs 



